For Our Youth

Education & Program Center

At IFS, we pursue our mission “to create pathways to success for at-risk and underserved residents in urban communities through innovative behavioral health, mental health, residential and educational programs” by rejoicing in the accomplishments of the one and focusing on the success of the many.

As our youth and families grow, we make sure that they receive the support to stand alone, strengthened by the knowledge that they are never by themselves.

Every year at IFS, we help hundreds of children and youth, from birth to 21 years old, many of whom are involved in the child welfare, justice and welfare systems.

At the IFS Education & Program Center in Irvington, we work with young people who are largely from single-parent households, foster care or residential programs. A typical youth at our Education & Program Center is an African-American teen who has not attended regular high school classes for more than two years. These young people are experiencing or at substantial risk of dealing with abuse, neglect or other mental health issues such as failure in school, involvement or placement with the juvenile justice system, out-of-home placement, unemployment, underemployment and critical judgment errors.

Under the integrated services model used at IFS, one family worker will use their extensive background in behavioral health issues to provide a comprehensive array of services that include the following: